Tuber Creations

tu·ber

a swollen, fleshy, usually underground stem of a plant, such as the potato, bearing buds from which new plant shoots arise

Life on earth is an exercise in mystery. Think of everything that had to happen for you to be exactly where you are right now; from the big bang to ice ages to photosynthesis to every idea that’s ever been hatched, each one of us is the result of a web of cause and effect too vast and far reaching for even our big modern brains to comprehend. What makes our human experience unique is our capacity to reflect and search for meaning. This, of course, is a remarkable skill that has enabled everything from Einstein to love poems, from Gandhi to zen koans.

It seems that most of the predicaments humanity finds itself in today aren’t caused by a lack of resources but by a lack of imagination. What would the world be like if we looked at our challenges the way a painter looks at an empty canvas? How would we treat our enemies if we were encouraged to slip into their skins, like actors who become another character? Who would just fend for themselves if our consciousness were stretched wide enough to see the whole world in the mirror?

Expanding consciousness is like learning a craft, a sport, or a language. You have to exercise muscles you didn’t even know you had. But while our brains can be trained in tangible, methodical ways, the soul—that deep and mysterious source of our being—likes to be tickled in different, more arcane ways.

Unearthing the creative life force from deep down is the way of the tuber. Inside its vibrant and fertile plot diggers can shed all protective layers and play. It’s a place that doesn’t care about what we do but how we do it, where mental boundaries melt and spirits meet. Down underground we don’t have to explain, we can just experience. Like tubers, we are made to dig deep for the best nutrients, sprouting the insight gained underground into our daily lives above.

And thus Tuber Creations, the umbrella for all things Chemystry Set, was born.

The tuber-inspired creation story is documented on the band’s inaugural album, Life in the Underground:

Keeping dry wasn’t the only challenge for the travelers. This time they had run into a wall of confusion that seemed to be indestructible by conventional means. A planet gone mad, with its people running and running but never quite getting to where they thought they should be going. The travelers knew something had to happen, a change so profound that it could not be captured by buzzing cameras and fat headlines. Eschewing their normal route, they went underground to take a trip along some different roots. It was an unbelievable journey!

Little by little the subterranean environment revealed the causes for much of the injustice and puzzlement they had encountered above. Wandering through the darkness their eyes had to adjust, and many of the true, but hidden motivations and agendas from above became visible. There were people manipulating power to serve their own purpose who were in actuality spineless puppets in a system that rewarded them for their spinelessness. There were dictators who, in the name of progress, raped the land and took away people’s strength so they could fill their own coffers.

But the travelers were not to be thwarted. Instead, they realized that in order to survive the darkness they had to move closer together. While digging through the mud, they discovered the spirit that lies underneath with its huge potential for love and understanding. It became clear that these had to be the key elements in their transformation to life above ground. After a long and exciting journey the travelers decided that it was time for the planted seeds to germinate, and so they popped their heads through the surface of the earth to tell the tales of LIFE IN THE UNDERGROUND!